[Round 1] {Planet Borlan VI}; The Second Decent

[Nimue]

((Planet Borlan VI, Federation space and the border the Saurian Empire))

:: Dr. Derringer was a Professor of Archeology who in recent years retired from the Daystrom Institute to do freelance work. The Avalon sector was largely unexplored and he had studied up on some reports from a colony on a planet that had ancient and unexplored ruins. Eager to unearth some secrets he and a couple of his protégé traveled for nearly a week before arriving on the planet. The expedition had only been on there for two days and the dig site already looked like they had been there for weeks. ::

:: Borlan VI was a cool planet slowly orbiting a distant white dwarf which should be covered in ice except for a five hundred mile stretch of dense evergreen forest and tundra that extends the entire equator of the planet. From space it looks like a white globe with a green ring. Scaring the entire landscape of the planet is deep canyons that rival the tallest in the galaxy. The planets large size makes its gravity heavier then Federation standard which makes the trees and vegetation thick and hardy. ::

:: Life on Borlan VI is difficult but habitable. The only colony is Canyon City. The city is large stretching for twenty kilometers inside a canyon that sits on the planets equator. It has thousands of coves etched in the canyons walls interconnected by various flexible but sturdy bridges. In the middle of the city are two large water falls on each side of the canyon from rivers of melting glaciers hundreds of miles away. At the bottom of this trench is a series of deep hot water geo-fissures that is continually replenished by the waterfalls. Four decades of development made this the only city on the planet, sprawling with thousands of inhabitants who call this home. ::

:: Several thousand miles away on the other side of the planet, the expedition was excavating on the only intact ruins on the planet. The ruins consisted of black spires that reached almost a kilometer high. They were thin like spider legs. Most of the spires had been broken and shattered due to thousands of years of weathering and decay except for one spire that stood in the middle of the ruins that was the tallest. The excavators called these ruins "The Spider Ruins". The ruins were mostly covered with moss and had patches of snow in places. Dr. Derringer and his crew were braving an

especially cold windy day. He was observing some hieroglyphs and markings that intrigued him. ::

:: Dr. Derringer was a tall man who in his old age was developing a small pop belly that seemed to be aggravated by the planets heavy gravity. His skin was rugged and brown. It looked as if he had been in the sun all his life. His life was full of many different planets and excavation dig sights and spending days and weeks at a time in transports. ::

Derringer: Hmm, these markings I have never seen before, their different then the outside of the complex. :: his young protégé stood next to him writing and drawing everything he saw. ::

Williams: Perhaps its religious marking of some significance.

Derringer: Hm, that was I originally thought. :: Observing a pictograph of a figure standing in front of a pyramid.:: But then these… other figures are outstretching their arms toward the central figure perhaps royalty.

Williams: A tomb for royalty perhaps.

Derringer: Then that would mean there are burials sites or chambers where they keep their dead. There's nothing here but spires.

Williams: Geo scans reveal nothing underground…

:: While they were talking the ground began to tremor and a bright red light began oscillating in one of the pictographs. They both froze. ::

Derringer: What did you do?

Williams: Nothing I was just standing here talking to you… Doctor look one of the pictographs. It's the one with squiggly lines.

Derringer: I keep seeing that reoccurring all over the ruins. I think it means the air.

Williams: We must have triggered something.

:: The ground began to shake again but much more violently the dim blue sunlight began to fade like night as a thunderous sound came from the sky. The Professor and his students looked up and saw an ominous black cloud descending from space as lightning and dark reddish clouds emanated from the center of a dark ring. A defining

roar of wind gushed through the excavation sight. ::

Williams: What is it!?

Derringer: It's some kind of storm! :: A female student came running over to the two. ::

Neenah: Come on, we can hide under the other spire! Let's go!

:: The whole crew left their work and belongings and ran toward an alcove under one of the smaller intact spires. They all huddled in and sat on the ground next to each other. They sat there for several minutes listening to what has happening, small tremors would occasionally shake them. Noises of lightening continued until they diminished and the wind died down. Then they herd an eerie low hum that seems to vibrate faster and then slower at different times. As

the noise died down they started speculating about what the noises were coming from. They started to notice the cold feeling of the snow after their adrenaline subsided. ::

Williams: I'm going to take a look out there and see whats going on.

Neenah: Be careful.

Williams: I will, be right back.

:: Williams got up and slowly peaked outside the alcove they were in. Seeing the coast was clear and the lighting had stopped he walked around the spire. It was dark as night. ::

oO Weird night fall isn't until another twenty hours. Oo

:: His gaze was immediately set upon a large ship hovering above that covered an area of three and a half kilometers in the shape of a ring. It was a black, onyx vessel almost the same color as the spires the expedition was excavation. In the middle was a hallow center with a red orb of throbbing energy that was the source of the loud humming noise. Williams ran back to the alcove. ::

Williams: :: Panicking :: Doctor, it's a ship, a big ship!

Derringer: Is it Starfleet.

Williams: No, I've never seen a Federation ship that big!

Neenah: Is it the Borg.

Williams: I don't know it could be, we need to get out of here!

:: They all got up and left the alcove in the shadow of this large imposing vessel. They quickly ran toward their transport just outside the excavation site. The heavy gravity made it difficult to get momentum. As they approached the vehicle a tall shadowy figure stood in front of it. It was hard for them to see who it was. The shadow figure stretched its hand and protruded a short blue beam of light like a laser sword that lit the surrounding area of darkness. ::

Shadow Figure: ::inaudible word, almost demon like.:: Shinwock'tow!

:: Dr. Derringer and his crew blacked out. ::

TBC

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Dr. Veronica Leona, Lieutenant J.G.

Chief Science Officer

USS Discovery-B